Ancient Olympic Games

Voice 2 And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand - no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 1 This week, skilled sports players are gathering from around the world. It is the Olympic Games. They will compete in many contests – running races, swimming, gymnastics, boat and bicycle races, and many more. They are taking part in a modern version of an ancient tradition. Today, we go back in time to the ancient Olympic Games. How were they different from the modern Games? How were they the same?

Voice 2 Imagine that it is the eighth century before the birth of Christ - the time of the very first Olympic Games! The Olympic Games were extremely important to the Greeks. The Games were held every four years in the city of Olympia in Greece. Olympia was named after Mount Olympus. The ancient Greeks believed that this huge mountain was home to the gods. The ancient Greek people worshipped many gods. The Olympic Games were part of a big religious celebration. They were in honour of their god, Zeus. Everyone met together at the huge grounds in Olympia. The grounds were made up of large columns and steps. They could seat 20,000 people! The temple of Zeus was at the centre.

Voice 1 People traveled long distances to attend the Games. Many people traveled on foot. Others traveled on horses or boats. The trip took some people several weeks. When they arrived at the Games, most people slept on the ground. Some people had tents. But others had to manage without. It was hot and very crowded. The water supply was not very good either. But all this did not stop people from attending the Games.

Voice 2 That is, it did not stop the men from attending. Women were not permitted to enter and watch. But they did have their own events at Olympia once every four years. The women’s games were called Heraia. These were held in honour of their goddess Hera. People worshipped Hera as the wife of the Greek god Zeus. The events at Heraia were all running races.

Voice 1 Some women still tried to watch the men’s games. If they were caught, there was a severe punishment. They were thrown off a mountaintop! But this did not stop some women. They tried to enter the Games area in secret.

Voice 2 The first Olympic Games for men only included one event - a short run. But the running path was much wider than a modern one. Twenty people could run at once. Runners raced from one end of the sports ground to the other. Slowly, over the years, people added more and more events. This made the Games even more popular. Finally, there were five days of different events to compete in.

Voice 1 The events included many races. Horse and chariot races were popular. In these races the horses had to work hard. They pulled the chariots. Each man drove his chariot as fast as he could to try and win. There were also fighting events. Crowds shouted with joy as the strongest man won. One of the fighting events was called the pancratium. This event usually happened towards the end of the Games. It was very popular. But it was also dangerous for those competing. A common opening move in the pancratium was to break one of your enemy’s fingers. Officially, biting was banned. The men were also not supposed to take each other’s eyes out. Although some men still tried!